Descripción
Frame measures 29" x 41", Painting measures 24" x 36" painted on 1979 by Calvin<br>Canepa who can be read about below. The painting is undamaged and has not been<br>restored, canvas is tight, frame is also in great condition.<br><br>Not many people are “discovered” in kindergarten, but Calvin Canepa’s artistic<br>talents were apparent at the age of 5.<br><br>“The superintendent of the Lake Tahoe school district saw a painting I did and<br>was impressed,” Canepa said.<br><br>“He contacted my mother and told her that she should expose me to as many<br>outdoor scenes as possible so I could further develop my artistic abilities.<br><br>“I had the first exhibition of my work when I was in the first grade.”<br><br> Canepa is a self-taught fine artist. He concentrates on outdoor scenes and<br>still lifes. The area around Lake Tahoe and the Sierra Nevada foothills serves<br>as the subject for most of his paintings.<br><br>When Canepa isn’t painting or exhibiting his art, he works as a clerk at the<br>Bel-Air market in Cameron Park. “When my daughter came to live with me,<br>following the death of her mother, I needed a job with health benefits that<br>would cover both of us,” he recalled. “I also wanted to work less than 40 hours<br>a week so I could have more time to concentrate on my painting. “That’s why I<br>applied to work at Bel Air. It was a Union job and I could work less than<br>full-time and still be eligible for benefits.<br><br>‘The only way to go’<br><br>“I also had an uncle and two cousins who were Union members and worked for<br>Lucky. I saw how they lived a solid middle-class lifestyle, so I knew Union was<br>the only way to go.”<br><br>Canepa works the overnight shift because it lets him paint and market his art<br>during the day.<br><br>“Selling paintings is an up-and-down business,” Canepa said. “Having a secure<br>Union job with benefits has been a lifesaver for me.”<br><br>His union-negotiated health benefits were especially useful when he had to have<br>back surgery seven years ago.<br><br>“I was out of work for six months,” Canepa said. ”Everything was taken care of.<br><br>I didn’t have to worry about how I was going to pay for the surgery and could<br>concentrate on getting better.”<br><br>Canepa’s goal is to get his art into more galleries and eventually into museums.<br>“Having your work hang in a museum would be very prestigious,” he said.<br><br> “But showing my work in as many galleries as possible is also important,<br>because I can sell more of my paintings.”<br><br>One of Canepa’s paintings sold for $14,000 to Bank of America and still hangs in<br>the bank’s corporate offices.<br><br>Although he is nowhere near retirement age, Canepa plans to keep working as long<br>as he can.<br><br>“Work sharpens my artistic abilities,” Canepa said. “Having less free time is<br>good, because you need a sense of urgency to paint. If you have too much time on<br>your hands, you can get lazy.<br><br>More information about Canepa’s artwork can be found at his<br>website, www.calvincanepafineart.com.
